It's Rogers' turn to run show for Wulff, Cougs

JIM MOOR, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By JIM MOORE, P-I COLUMNIST

Published 10:00 pm, Monday, August 18, 2008

The Go 2 Guy also writes for 710Sports.com and kitsapsun.com. Reach Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter as @cougsgo. He appears weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. on "Danny, Dave and Moore" on 710 ESPN Seattle radio.

REMEMBER THAT NIGHT at Auburn two years ago when Gary Rogers drove the Cougars 90 yards in six plays for a touchdown? He went 5-for-5 and looked a lot like Drew Bledsoe.

At that point in the third quarter, Washington State was still in the game and all of a sudden, Rogers wasn't, replaced by a struggling Alex Brink -- the coaches curiously stuck with their predetermined plan to play Rogers for just one series.

"That could go down as the most mysterious choice ever made," said Jack Thompson, a WSU quarterbacking great who has mentored Rogers. "God forbid if he'd stayed in and led us to a couple more scores and we had a full-blown quarterback controversy."

After that, Rogers was used mostly in a mop-up role as Brink racked up prolific passing numbers for a losing team. As each game went by, Rogers' body language grew increasingly worse, and so did his stats -- he went 4-for-16 for 18 yards all of last season. Rogers knew no matter what he did, the coaches were hellbent on staying with Brink.

Now that Brink has moved on to the Houston Texans, Rogers gets his shot with the Cougs, and he's about to find out if his perseverance was worth it.

Rogers looked good during WSU's first scrimmage Saturday, completing 9 of 13 for 80 yards. Kevin Lopina is pushing him, and though Paul Wulff is pleased with Rogers' progress, the new coach said the Kansas State transfer could get playing time, too.

Football gods willing, Rogers will have a senior season like Matt Kegel's in 2003, when he led the Cougars to a Holiday Bowl win over Texas, a reward for his patience as Jason Gesser's longtime backup.

If you listen to the Throwin' Samoan, it could happen, a bowl game for the Cougs and a promising NFL career for Rogers.

"I hope and pray, if he takes us to a bowl game, you know how high he'll go in the draft?" Thompson said. "The pro scouts are going to be blown away."

Thompson flashes one yellow light -- the one thing lacking with Rogers is game experience. But the size and skills are there. Rogers is 6 feet 6 and 233 pounds and has a strong right arm like Bledsoe. Thompson also said Rogers' style of motion is "Carson Palmer-esque."

When coach Bill Doba resigned after the Apple Cup, Thompson called Rogers and told him: "Stand up and carry yourself. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, you're a leader. Take hold of the reins, talk to your teammates. You've got to lead the pack."

In a phone interview last week, Rogers said it's been hard. He came out of Kamiak High School in Mukilteo four years ago, excited to be going to Washington State, thinking he'd be the No. 1 quarterback sooner than this.

"From the get-go, I just loved the atmosphere over here, and how close the team was," Rogers said. "I liked everything about the school. That's why I committed

my junior year in high school."

Rogers wouldn't say it, but I'd bet he got disillusioned at times. You could have a lively debate over whether the WSU coaching staff killed his confidence.

"I asked him if he was OK with the situation," said his dad, Gary Rogers Sr., and his son said he was.

"I asked him if he wanted to (transfer)," Rogers Sr. said.

"No," Rogers told him. "I'll either beat (Brink) out or my time will come."

There was something else.

"I didn't get close to transferring," Rogers said. "I chose the university for a reason. I love it here. I want to be a Coug to the end. I've got a strong will, I guess. I just stuck with it. I knew in my heart I was a good quarterback and I could play at this level."

Said Rogers Sr.: "As far as I'm concerned, he had all the tools to be brought along to be their guy. At Auburn, he showed people what he was all about, what he could be. To be shut down was disappointing to me."

Rogers and his wife, Linda, have not missed a game in three years. They knew their son probably wouldn't play but wanted to be there if he did. Even so, they would at least see him at the team hotel the night before the game.

"We were just there to support him," Rogers Sr. said.

Rogers is one credit short of his degree in sports management, and that's not all that makes his dad proud.

"He's never been in trouble, he's a hard worker and he shows people respect," Rogers Sr. said.

"What else can I ask out of a son?"

When you talk with Rogers about the final chapter of his college career, he'll tell you he wants to take Washington State to a bowl game.

Opponents, beware -- he's an underdog with bite.

"We go into every year knowing we're going to be ranked last again," Rogers said.

"We thrive off of that. We know we're going to outwork everybody. You come into our house, and you're going to be surprised. We're going to slam it down your throats."

"Slam it down their throats?" I asked.

"Yes," Rogers said.

Clearly, the confidence is back, and for those who wonder if Rogers is fast enough to run Wulff's no-huddle offense, not to worry.

"I can make plays with my arm, and I can make plays with my legs as well," Rogers said.

On Aug. 30 at Qwest Field against Oklahoma State, the Gary Rogers era gets under way at last. Will he find redemption?

"If he comes out and leads the Cougs to a great season, a lot of questions will be asked," Rogers Sr. said. "Where'd this kid come from? Where's he been?"

Added Thompson, "He could be one of the best Cougar stories in a long, long time."